


Perfectly Imperfect

by winterisakiller (sparkinside)



Series: Tom & Allie [1]
Category: British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Chance Meetings, F/M, Realistic Fluff?, Romance, new relationships, tumblr challenge piece
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 07:17:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20149780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinside/pseuds/winterisakiller
Summary: Allie hadn’t expected anything when she’d handed him her number that night…She wasn’t even sure why she’d done it. After all she’d known the chances of him actually calling were slim to none, and that was being generous. But Allie had known she would have regretted not taking the chance so she’d handed him the napkin and climbed into her car, forcing herself not to look back.





	Perfectly Imperfect

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for @babylevines 4k challenge. My prompt was the line: “Stay here tonight”. Thanks to [RedKitsune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedKitsune/pseuds/RedKitsune) for letting me continually throw ideas off and at you. I still can’t fathom why you put up with it, but I am eternally grateful you do. And thank you to [theHeartofPenelope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theHeartofPenelope/pseuds/theHeartofPenelope) for letting me pester you with this and giving your feedback, you are awesome!

The evening had been nothing short of fantastic and Allie Thompson found herself wondering just when the other shoe was going to drop. Tom had been nothing short of a gentleman in the five weeks since they’d started seeing one another. He was attentive, thoughtful, and, while his schedule was erratic at best, he’d done his utmost to make his interest in her clear. The old adage ‘if it seems too good to be true, it probably is’ had been echoing around her mind, growing steadily louder with each passing week. 

She let her eyes roam over his profile as they sat, curled on his couch, watching a movie with the lights dimmed. He was gorgeous; hair slightly tousled, clad in dark jeans and thin, blue t-shirt, glasses perched on his long, straight nose. Gorgeous and smart and god she was so out of her depth here.

Allie hadn’t expected anything when she’d handed him her number that night…God was it really over a month ago? She wasn’t even sure why she’d done it. After all she’d known the chances of him actually calling were slim to none, and that was being generous. But Allie had known she would have regretted not taking the chance so she’d handed him the napkin and climbed into her car, forcing herself not to look back. And, looking back, she couldn’t believe things had actually worked out as well as they had.

—

It had been a shit day; she’d been late for work that morning, dropped her coffee as she’d run into the office ruining her new blouse (thank god she’d had a spare in her office for emergencies; the only good thing it seemed was going to come of the day), and to top it all off her blind date hadn’t bothered to show up. Allie stirred her second drink of the night, the ice having nearly melted, watering down the fruity alcoholic concoction significantly. Why she let herself get talked into accepting this farce of a date, she still couldn’t understand. Hell, she didn’t even know why she was still sitting in the bar in the first place. Not when she could have been at home, curled up on her couch with a book and a glass of wine.

“I don’t mean to sound forward but you look like you’ve had a rough night.” Her eyes snapped up at the horribly familiar voice. _It couldn’t be…_

Allie forced herself to close her mouth as she took in the smiling form of Tom Hiddleston standing before her. She blinked in confusion, wondering if the barkeep had doubled the liquor in her drink. Because clearly she was hallucinating. _But_, she admitted to herself, _as hallucinations go this one isn’t so bad_.

It wasn’t that she fantasied about the man standing before her…Or at least not frequently. But she would have to have been living under a rock not to recognize him. Allie has seen several of his films, mostly at Gilly’s behest. Her best friend was…Quite taken with the man, to point it mildly. And she’d dragged Allie along for the ride, whether she’d wanted to go or not.

Tom was undoubtedly talented and certainly not someone you’d kick out of bed. And yes…Technically, Allie may have googled a few pictures of him in her spare time, especially after that asshole Mark had decided he was more interested in screwing other women than trying to make things work with her. He was a harmless idea that she’d known would never exist outside of her head. And yet, somehow he was standing before her with his blindingly sincere smile.

It took her a few moments to find her voice. “You could certainly say that.”

Tom smiled and gestured at her half melted glass. “Would you like another?”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Probably not the best idea. I do have to drive myself home.” 

He nodded. “Fair point.” She watched as he appeared to weigh something in his mind. “Would you mind if I joined you?”

Allie blinked in confusion again and stuttered out a confused, “Why?”

Tom shrugged. “You look like you could use the company.” He smiled at her gently and quiet without meaning to, Allie returned the smile. Her hesitance, however, must have been clear on her face. “…But please, feel free to tell me to piss off if I’m being too forward.”

“Oh…Oh, its fine…I just…No, no please sit.” Allie gestured to the opened seat across from her. “You honestly don’t have to though. I’ll be fine, you must have someone waiting on you…” She wanted to slap herself for her own forwardness. It was obvious that Tom knew that she knew who he was. But knowing _of_ him and his work didn’t in anyway mean that she _knew_ him as a person. What he was doing and who he was with was absolutely none of his business. 

He shook his head and settled into the open seat, smile still spread across his face. “Nah. Was out with a few mates but they had to call it an early night, I have nowhere in particular I have to be tomorrow and decided to stick around.”

“Oh.”

Tom quirked an eyebrow, “Oh?”

Allie shook her head, “Nothing. Just…Nothing.” She played with the straw in her drink before giving in and taking a swallow then grimacing. God, it really was watered down. “So,” she started, trying desperately to think of some way to steer the conversation back to less potentially embarrassing topics. “I haven’t seen you around here before.” _Well _that _certainly isn’t a leading question at _all, _Allie you utter, utter moron!_

The smile on his face grew and he rubbed his slightly stubbly chin with his free hand. “Come here often then?”

She felt the blood rush to her face. “Sort of. This place isn’t too terribly far from work for me.” Allie took a deep breath. _In for a penny, in for a pound_. “I certainly would remember a face like yours.”

It was Tom’s turn to blush, the color rising quickly to his cheeks as he ducked his head. Some part of her, admittedly impaired, brain quickly filed that image away for later processing. _I made Tom Hiddleston blush!_ He shook his head. “No, I’m getting ready to start a play in the area and this was the closest pub to the rehearsal space.”

Allie nodded. She’d heard, again through Gilly, that Tom was gearing up for the theatre again. But with all that had been going on in her life, she hadn’t paid much, if any, attention to the details. “Very nice. Well welcome. I’m Allie.” She held out her hand him and he took it firmly in his.

“Thank you, Allie. I’m Tom.” They sat in silence for several minutes before Tom cleared his throat and spoke once more. “Who were you waiting for, if I may ask?” He looked less than sure of himself

“Blind date.”

Tom’s brow wrinkled in confusion and then astonishment, “And he didn’t bother to show?”

“Obviously.” Allie turned her attention back to her drink.

“Well bully for him then,” Tom mused, taking a quick sip of his drink. “And all the better for me.”

Allie quirked her brow at him. “Do you use that line with all the girls, or am I special?”

Tom let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Um…God, no matter how I answer that I’m going to come off sounding like a gigantic ass.”

She snorted a laugh. “But it’s a nice ass.”

His laugh this time was genuine. “You think so?”

Allie blushed. “Well…”

Tom waggled his eyebrows at her and they both broke into fits of laughter. Allie was surprised at how comfortable she felt around the man sitting before her. It was surreal, sitting here talking with a man she had only ever seen on screen. Surreal but wonderful all at once. Allie found him incredibly easy to talk to and, quite honestly, a fantastic flirt.

She sighed and slowly sipped her drink; finding flirting so much easier knowing that in the end it most likely wouldn’t matter. Tom, while clearly every bit as charming and genuine as he’d appeared on screen, was most likely never going to see her again once they parted ways. Knowing there was a time limit, a definite end, made it safer for Allie to put herself out there. After all, what did she have to lose?

Tom did talk his way into buying her another drink, a lemonade this time, “I know you said you need to be able to drive home tonight.” And she sipped it gratefully, wondering just how her night had turned from disaster to something altogether enjoyable. It surprised her when she’d next glanced at her watch that it was nearing midnight. How the bloody hell had that happened?

Ignoring thoughts of glass slippers and carriages turning back into pumpkins, Allie pushed herself from the bench and smiled warmly at Tom.

“Leaving so soon?” He asked before his eyes fell to his own watch. “Or not so soon. I can’t believe it’s that late already.”

She shrugged. “They say time flies when you’re having fun. But I do need to be off. I have work in the morning.” Allie could have sworn she’d seen a flash of disappointment in his eyes but dismissed it as a trick of the lighting.

“Could I at least walk you to your car?” She hesitated for a moment before nodding. If he was going to prolong the evening, if only for a few moments, then who was she to interfere?

They walked silently from the warmth of the pub out into the cool night air. Her car, a light blue compact, was parked on a side street not too far from the main entrance and they made it there in less time than Allie had hoped. She smiled sheepishly as she turned to face him. “Well this is me.”

Tom returned her smile and, after a brief paused, leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He tasted of whiskey and warmth and Allie felt her head swim. They were both slightly breathless when he pulled back. “It’s been lovely, Allie.”

“It has.”

Allie wasn’t sure what made her do it, bold was the absolute last word anyone would use to describe her, she pulled a napkin and pen from her purse and quickly scribbled her name and mobile number on it. Without giving herself time to think, she pushed it into Tom’s hand, smiled softly, and climbed into her car.

She hadn’t expected anything to come of it. Had done her utmost best to push the thought of him actually using the number from her mind as she drove home. So the soft ping of an incoming text message as she fought to undo the deadbolt of her main door caught Allie by surprise.

‘_It’s Tom, from the pub. Just wanted to make sure you made it home safe. And to say once more that I had a lovely time.’_

Allie blinked at her screen in confusion; torn between flattery and disbelief. “Well fuck me sideways.”

The phone pinged again as another text arrived.

‘_And to say I would very much like to see you again.’_

—

Tom chuckled, turning his eyes briefly from the screen toward her. “Something on your mind?” His smooth voice danced with mirth and Allie felt her face flush in embarrassment at being caught staring

“Yes…No…Sorry.” She cursed a blue streak in her mind. What the fuck was wrong with her?

He picked up the remote and hit pause, turning his full attention on Allie. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Allie shrugged, not quite sure how to put the thoughts swirling through her mind into words that might actually make sense.

“You can talk to me,” he assured her. “Whatever it is, I promise not to judge.” Tom reaches out and cupped her cheek with his hand.

She let out a nervous laugh. “This.”

Confusion spread across his features. “I’m afraid you’ve lost me.”

Allie swallowed, trying to gather her wits. She leaned back, breaking their contact, and gestured between them. “This. You…You are wonderful and kind and ridiculously amazing…”

“And…” He trailed off, a look of apprehension in his blue eyes.

“And I’ve not been this happy in a very, very long time. That scares me, Tom. You are almost too good to be true and I keep waiting for…” Allie stopped, turning away from his intense gaze, feeling so incredibly stupid for saying anything in the first place. “It’s stupid.”

Tom’s hand came to rest on her shoulder and slowly moved until it rested beneath her chin. Gently, he turned Allie’s face back towards him and locked his eyes with her bright green ones. “It’s not stupid.” A warm smile spread across his face. “If you are feeling it, Allie, it isn’t stupid. I’m not…” He paused, searching for the right words. “I’m not an easy person to be with. My life is chaos at the best of times and no matter how hard I try, I am so very far from perfect. I can be obsessive with my work and I’ve been accused, and not unfairly, of being distant and hard to reach when I get wrapped up in a project.”

Allie opened her mouth to protest but was quickly silenced by the look in Tom’s eye.

“I’m not perfect, Allie, and at some point I will do something to let you down even though it’s the last thing I want to do.” He paused again, dropping his hands to his lap. “This scares me too. I’ve not had an excellent track record when it comes to successful relationships and I don’t want this…Us, to be a part of that. But that is part of the risk of a relationship and I think…I hope it’s worth it. That we are worth it. That I want us to be. And I know it’s early days yet and even bring this up is probably way too much, way too quickly…But I want you to know…I want you to see that I am not taking any of this lightly.”

“I swear to god, Hiddleston!” A choked sob slipped from Allie’s lips and she pushed her hand against Tom’s shoulder. “How is it you always seem to know what to say?” She sighed. “It’s getting a bit intimidating.”

Tom reached up to clasp her hand in his own, “Give me time, I’m almost positive I’ll say something stupid sooner or later. Just ask my sisters, I’m sure they have plenty of stories that would highlight my less than stellar side.” They both laughed softly at that. “I’m not perfect, Allie. I’m just me. And I have come to care a great deal about you. I don’t know if this will work but I want to do my best so that it does.”

She sat in silence for a few moments before bringing herself to speak. “I want it to work too. I just…This is new for me and I don’t know exactly what I’m doing here.”

Tom laughed softly. “That makes two of us.” He pulled her against his side, kissing the side of her head. The small gesture sent a shiver through her. It was far from the most intimate thing they had done (not that they had done a great deal, physically), but something about the innocence of the act that struck her. “We’ll figure it out as we go.”

Allie nodded, settling gratefully into Tom’s embrace. He un-paused the film and they settled back into the quiet comfort of the evening. By the time the credits began to roll, Allie had fallen asleep against his shoulder. He smiled, watching her face relaxed and serene in sleep. 

“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. She stirred, her face scrunching first in confusion then in annoyance. “Allie, darling. It’s late. The film’s over.”

Allie cracked her eyes open, blinking in the dim light. “Wastime it?”

Tom laughed. “It’s half eleven.”

“Five more minutes,” she slurred, burying her head farther into his chest. Allie was warm and he was ever so comfortable. The idea of forcing herself to get up and make the trek back across the city to her small flat seemed unbearable.

He took a deep breath, running his thumb across her cheek, smiling as Allie leaned into his touch. “Why…Why don’t you stay here tonight?”

She pushed herself up, staring at Tom in confusion. “What?”

Tom took another deep breath and continued with more confidence. “Stay here tonight. With me.” He leaned in, his blue eyes locking on hers, and kissed her gently.

Allie pulled back studying his expression before smiling softly up at him. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe it wasn’t. The only way to know was simply to take that leap. “Okay,” She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. She reluctantly pulled back and nodded. “Okay, I’ll stay.”


End file.
